


Tempus Fugit

by SpicyPepper_SweetSugar



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Post 2x14, Slade not mentioned, but a little AU, mentions of Thea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-03-04
Packaged: 2018-01-14 14:19:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1269613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar/pseuds/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity makes a decision and gets inked, which shakes her relationship with Oliver and changes things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tempus Fugit

**Author's Note:**

> The fic contains slight spoilers for the show up until 2x14, but Slade isn't mentioned at all, which means that the ending of 2x14 probably didn't happen here. At least it isn't addressed.

“ **Tempus Fugit”**

** Word count: 4,554 **

 

It hadn’t been an impulsive decision. She had been contemplating it for quite some time actually, long before learning Oliver’s secret and joining Team Arrow. Her only problem had been that she couldn’t decide on the design.

So after defeating the Clock King and saving Sara’s life, she decided it was time to finally do it. The words the Clock King had spoken before she knocked him unconscious still rang in her ears. It wasn’t that  _ he  _ had been the one to say it, but also the fact that it was true.

_ Tempus Fugit _ ; time flies.

Felicity lifted her shirt slightly and looked at the two words that were now inked into her skin, on her hip. Gently, she touched them, her mind flashing to when she had made the decision on the design a few days ago.

She had just gotten home after a long day, both at the office and at the Foundry. Not only had they finished working a case, but Diggle had also found it important for her to train at 11 pm. He had insisted that it was time for her to pick her training up again, and Sara had offered to help with some pointers. Some pointers had quickly turned into a daily workout routine with both Sara and Diggle who took turns on beating her. She was sore and tired, but at the same time happy because she had managed to last ten minutes without being knocked over by Diggle. Pride welled inside of her, so when she removed her shirt to take a shower, she froze for a second as she saw her scar on the back of her shoulder. As she traced it with her fingers, she remembered the words and the next day, she found herself in a tattoo parlor, getting the words permanently attached to her skin.

“ Hey, Felicity!” Roy called out as he walked into the Foundry. Quickly, Felicity pulled down her shirt.

“Roy!” she exclaimed, higher than she had intended to. He quirked an eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing!” she said, once again too quickly. He crossed his arms and gave her his best ‘really?’-look.

The doors opened again and Sara and Diggle walked in. They had been out patrolling with Oliver, but it seemed like Oliver wasn’t with them.

“Ollie had to check something on the other side of town,” Sara said, as if knowing what Felicity was thinking. “And why are you blushing?” she asked Felicity, removing her mask and the wig she wore.

“I’m blushing?” Felicity’s hands flew to her cheeks. “I’m not blushing!” she protested, knowing by the heat that was raising, she was blushing even more furiously than before.

“Okay, did something happen while we were out?” Diggle asked, changing his shirt.

“I walked in here and Felicity was looking at something and then she started acting weird,” Roy accused, a smug smirk on his face.

“You stop talking,” Felicity said, raising a threatening finger.

“ Sorry,  _ mom _ ,” Roy mocked, causing Felicity to roll her eyes. “What are you gonna do? Bench me?”

“If I were you, I would shut up, kid,” Diggle said. “She’ll bench you if she feels like it. probably make sure that you can’t enter the Foundry for a week.”

Felicity crossed her arms and grinned. “I sure can,” she agreed, and Roy’s eyes widened.

“Sorry,” he said, this time sounding both worried and sincere.

Felicity just nodded and turned around to walk back to her computers. She was stopped by Sara’s hand on her upper arm.

“Hey,” the other blonde said, “tell us what you were looking at before.”

Felicity blinked twice. “I was just…” she trailed off, wondering why she was keeping it to herself. It wasn’t as if she was ashamed of her tattoo. After all, it meant something important to her. 

“I got a tattoo the other day.”

No one spoke and Sara’s hand dropped from her arm. It felt like time stood still, which was kind of ironic when she thought about her tattoo.

Finally, Roy spoke up, “Oh, Ms. Smoak, turning into a complete badass,” he teased. “Can we see it?” he asked then, his eyes wide with excitement.

“ I-” Felicity stopped and shot him a glare. “I didn’t get it to be ‘ _ badass _ ’ , and it’s not exactly like it’s a huge skull across my back. It’s just a small text.”

“Well, can we still see it?” Sara inquired and Felicity shrugged.

“Sure, whatever,” she said, lifting her shirt slightly. The three of them moved closer and looked at it. Soon, they were all grinning.

“Isn’t that what Tockman said before you knocked him out?” Sara asked and Felicity nodded.

“It’s been stuck in my head since that night,” she explained.

“It’s cool,” Sara concluded. “Kind of like a reminder of what you did that night.”

“Exactly,” Felicity nodded. “That’s the main reason I chose this text I guess. I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo for a long time. Long before I joined Team Arrow,” she added after seeing Diggle’s look.

“It’s nice,” Diggle nodded. “And it’s very ‘Felicity’ too,” he said, giving his approval. “Better than some tacky Chinese letters that you won’t even share the meaning of,” he added, making Felicity chuckle.

“Don’t let Oliver hear you,” she said, just as the Foundry door opened again. Quickly, Felicity let her shirt fall to cover the tattoo again.

“Don’t let Oliver hear what?” Oliver asked as he walked down the stairs and put his bow in place before removing his mask.

“Nothing,” Felicity and Sara said at the same time. Oliver gave them a look and then turned to the other two men, who only shrugged.

“What were you talking about then?”

“Ask Felicity,” Roy said simply, shooting Felicity a look. She glared back at him and he glanced at her hip before giving her a thumbs up. “Everyone starts small,” he told her and she once again felt the blush reaching her cheeks. “I’m heading out. I have a shift tonight and Thea will kill me if I’m late again. See you guys tomorrow,” he said, waving at them before hurrying off.

“I’m going home too,” Diggle said. “Sara, do you want me to drive you home or will you be staying?” he asked and she shook her head.

“ My dad asked me to join him for a movie tonight when I got back from my  _ nightly activities _ ,” she said. “I’d really appreciate a ride. I just need to change,” she told him and hurried to get her other clothes.

Felicity looked expectantly at Oliver, but he didn’t say anything to her. Instead, he turned to Felicity, “How about you try some sparring with me tonight?” he suggested.

Her breath caught in her throat. Oliver hadn’t offered to train with her a single time since Diggle and Sara had begun her training. He had always seemed against the idea of having her out on the field, which meant that she was yet to actually do something outside the Foundry. Since all her other undercover jobs had ended in her being captured or put in danger, Oliver had only agreed to let her out of her cage when she was fully trained and ready.

“Sound like a good idea,” Sara replied before Felicity had a chance to form her own words. She nudged Felicity’s shoulder and winked at her. “Kick his ass,” she told her, making Felicity laugh.

“Yeah, not a chance,” she said.

“You can at least try,” Sara winked. Diggle shook his head, but looked amused. They said goodbye and walked out, leaving Felicity and Oliver alone.

Felicity felt suffocated and wanted to run. There was  _ no way in hell _ that she could train with Oliver. She turned to tell him just that, but froze, seeing that he had already removed his shirt.

He looked at her almost expectantly and she couldn’t help but swallow.

“You’re already dressed, so should we start right away?” he asked her. “Or do you need a minute?” There was something playful in his tone that made the hairs on her arms rise.

“I’ll just remove my glasses,” she said, her voice barely audible. She walked over to her desk and put them away before following Oliver to the training mat. Her heart was pounding in her chest and he threw her a wooden stick, which she miraculously managed to catch without a problem.

Oliver nodded, already looking impressed.

“Ready?” he asked, and she desperately wanted to shake her head and tell him that she would never be ready to take him on. Yet, she nodded.

It took him exactly fifty-eight seconds to have her laying on her back.

After getting her to lose her stick, he had thrown his own away and swiped his foot under her, making her drop her balance and fall. When he pinned her arms above her head, she didn’t even try to struggle. She only stared at him, realizing how incredibly close his face was to hers.

Both of them were panting, looking at each other shocked. She expected him to move as soon as he had pinned her down, but he stayed in place. They watched each other for a good minute until their breathing calmed down.

“Impressive,” he said, his voice raspy.

“I didn’t even last a minute,” she pointed out.

“But you lasted longer than last time I saw you train with Diggle,” he told her.

“You were watching?”

“Always.”

He blinked and Felicity wondered if he realized what he had just inquired.

“I mean, I need to keep an eye on how far along you’ve gotten in your training,” he explained, a little too quickly for Felicity’s taste.

“Okay,” she said, looking up at his hands that were almost painfully gripping her wrists. “Have you taught me your lesson that I’m not ready yet, or are you going to stay on top of me forever?”

He let go of her wrists and leaned back to get some distance between their faces. Somehow, Felicity managed to stay impassive and act as if the closeness wasn’t bothering her at all.

Still straddling her, he looked down curiously. Felicity frowned and followed his gaze, realizing that he was looking at her hip. Actually, he was looking at the dark ink that was slightly visible now that her shirt had ridden up slightly.

“Is that a tattoo?” he asked, his hand reaching for her shirt and lifting it slightly to get a better look.

Felicity let out a breath, wondering if he was aware of what he was doing. He turned to look at her face and then looked at his hand, which was still holding her shirt up and his eyes widened slightly.

She had never seen him move that quick. One second he was looming over her and the next, he was on his feet, a couple of feet away from her. Taking the chance, she sat up and pulled her shirt down.

“ Yes, it is,” she answered. “ _ That’s  _ what we were talking about when you got here. Roy saw me looking at it when he got back, so he, Diggle and Sara cornered me and pretty much forced me to show them. Then Diggle commented how it was better than your Chinese tattoo, since you’re so secretive about the meaning behind it and I-”

“Was that what I wasn’t supposed to hear?” he interrupted her rambling. “Or was it the fact that you had gotten a tattoo?”

“The first one, I think,” she frowned. “I’m not ashamed of admitting that I had this made,” she said, pointing to her hip. Oliver’s eyes followed her finger and stayed there. “It means something to me.”

“Can I get a closer look at it?” Oliver wondered, taking a small step forward but still waited for her answer.

“Yeah, sure,” she nodded. “Why not? I mean, everyone else has seen it.” Something flashed in his eyes, but she didn’t want to think about that at the moment. She watched him as he walked up to her, and she almost had to tell him to hurry because he was walking too slowly.

Soon, he was in front of her, and she raised the shirt and pulled the yoga pants down slightly so he could see the words clearly. His fingers ghosted over the text and she had to swallow not to let out a sigh.

“‘ _ Tempus Fugit,’ _ ”  he read.

“Time flies,” she translated. “It’s something Tockman said, before I knocked him out.”

“Why would you chose that as a motive?” he frowned, sounding as if he didn’t want to be reminded of that night.

“Honestly? I chose it because he was the one who said it,” she said. His thumb was still running over the black script and she closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate. Did he know what he even was doing?

“ I got it because it kind of reminds me of that night. It was the first time since I joined Team Arrow,” he shot her a look that she ignored, “that I actually managed to do something without screwing up. I  _ saved _ someone, by myself. I saved  _ Sara, _ ”  she laughed, once again getting that euphoric feeling inside of her. Oliver’s hand on her hip seemed to tighten slightly, but she ignored it. “I defeated Tockman, even though he tried to best me and that is what the tattoo represents. That I saved someone’s life and managed to catch the bad guy, almost by myself.”

“ You did catch him by yourself,” Oliver acknowledged. “And you  _ should _ be proud of that.”

“I know you were a little mad because I went to the bank alone at first,” Felicity said, “and I know that we haven’t spoken about it since then, but I realized that even though Tockman was the one to say it, time really does fly by. If I had been a second too slow, Sara would have died, or I would have been shot in a much more dangerous place,” she shuddered, not wanting to think about it. Oliver seemed to tense at her words as well. “I’ve always wanted a tattoo and with the work we do, who knows how much time we have left? So why waste it and not celebrate by inking my skin with something that reminds me of what succeeded in doing that night?”

Oliver watched her intently.

“I like it,” he finally breathed, glancing down at the tattoo, which was still covered by his thumb. “Are you planning on getting inked every time that you beat a bad guy, or was this just a one time thing?”

Felicity grinned at him. “I’m good for now,” she told him. “At least until I do something else worth remembering.”

“That won’t be for too long then,” Oliver said. “You do a lot of things that are worth remembering.”

It felt as if he was getting closer. His face was suddenly only an inch or two away from hers and once again, the air left her lungs.

“Oliver?” she asked, her breath shaky and uncertain.

“It suits you,” he said, his voice low and his eyes hooded as he moved forward. His other hand rested on her other hip and soon, he was so close that she could feel his breath on her lips.

Her eyes closed for a moment, until she realized what they were about to do. Instantly, she pushed him away and jumped back at the same time, covering her tattoo with her shirt again.

“ Oliver!” she exclaimed, feeling the heat rising to her head. “What are you-? What are  _ we _ -?” she fumbled with the words and he stared at her blankly. It seemed that he was just as surprised as she was. “You’re with Sara!” she finally managed to get out, but her voice was strained.

What was even going on? Had he really been about to kiss her? Had  _ she _ been about to kiss him  _ back _ ?

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to-” he stopped, and the look that appeared across his face told her otherwise. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

She took another step back and shook her head. “No, Oliver,” she said. “You can’t do this now. Not after  _ everything _ .”

She left out what ‘everything’ consisted of, but she knew he understood it perfectly fine without an explanation. It hadn’t exactly been a secret that she had had a crush on him after they first met, and after she joined the team, the feelings had at times seemed mutual. There was a silent agreement between them that whatever it was, it needed to be covered and not acted upon under any circumstances. After the Undertaking, and Oliver’s second return from Lian Yu, they had been closer than before, but still never crossing the line that had been tested multiple times already, with the Count threatening her life and his hook-up with Isabel in Russia.

“I know,” he said, but there was a hint of bitterness in his tone. “I’m sorry.”

It frustrated her to no end. Not that he was apologizing, but rather the look he was giving her; like he didn’t feel sorry at all for almost crossing the line.

“We’re friends,” she said, even though she didn’t quite know why she said it.

“We are,” he agreed.

“And you’re dating Sara.”

“I am.”

“And still you thought it was a good idea to kiss me?” The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself, but she figured, whatever they said tonight would stay between the two of them.

He looked away for a brief moment before turning back to her. His lips were tugging upwards, but she knew he was far from amused by what could have been the worst mistake he’d ever made. Yet, she didn’t expect his answer.

“I did.”

They stared at each other and yet another minute passed in silence. How was she supposed to reply to that? What did he want her to say? That she’d love to kiss him, but that she couldn’t betray Sara like that and that she honestly didn’t think it was fair to her either because it would probably mean more to her than it meant to him?

“You can’t,” she finally sighed. “You probably reacted this way because of the tattoo or something.”

“ What?” he laughed. He actually  _ laughed _ . “What does your tattoo have to do with me wanting to kiss you against my better judgment?”

Her heart jumped and butterflies started bubbling up inside of her. Was this conversation actually happening? Had Oliver just admitted that he wanted to kiss her, even though he knew it would be a bad idea for everyone involved?

“ It’s on my hip,” she replied. “I mean, you were watching it and touching it and it’s only normal for two people who have a connection,” she groaned, “a  _ friendship  _ like us to react this way. It’s, like, closeness and touching and- Not  _ touching _ ! I mean, physical contact that can- 3...2...1…” she took a breath.

“Felicity,” Oliver said, stepping forward again. “I crossed the line, and I’m sorry. You’re right, we shouldn’t do this now.”

“ Your choice of words imply that we’ll be doing it somewhere down the line,” she muttered. “Not  _ doing it _ -doing it! I meant-”

“Kissing,” he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. As if it was normal for the two of them to almost seal the deal and then discuss the ‘almost-mistake’.

“But we can’t, because you’re with Sara and it’s not fair to her,” she reminded him again, deciding not to think of her hundredth slip up this evening. “I should probably head home, before this whole thing gets even more awkward,” she pointed out. “It’s better if we don’t talk about this again.”

“ Okay,” he nodded and she turned around and walked back to her desk, picking up her glasses and putting them on with trembling fingers. She grabbed her clothes quickly and threw them into her bag before hauling it over her shoulder. When she turned around, she gasped as she collided with his chest. He was looking down at her, his eyes once again dark and Felicity couldn’t help but shudder. “You’re right, as always,” he told her. Before she had the chance to ask him what he was talking about, he continued, “It’s not fair to Sara and it’s not fair to you either. And I know that me saying these things that I’m about to say, won’t be fair either, because neither of us can do anything about it for the time being,” he said, taking a deep breath. “What almost happened here tonight didn’t almost happen because of your tattoo, no matter how much of a turn on those two inked words on your hip might be.” She processed his words and her eyes widened. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for quite some time...but then Sara happened, and I figured she could keep me distracted so I wouldn’t act on the thing that could ruin our friendship. She knows… She’s always known that I  _ care _ about you, and she’s even pointed it out a few times herself,” he told her.

“Oliver, stop, please,” Felicity pleaded, because truthfully, what he was telling her was breaking her walls.

“Just listen, please,” he said. “This will stay between the two of us, just like you said before, but I need to explain why I almost kissed you.”

He waited for her response and slowly she nodded, “Go ahead.”

“This thing with Sara… I know that it’ll eventually come to an end. There’s too much history there, but I think I still have to give it a chance,” he explained. “On some strange level, I think I owe it to her… But that’s beside the point. My point is, that I need time. I don’t want to jump into anything too quickly with you without being sure that I’m ready, and risk ruining what we already have.”

“ You’re saying this as if you’re certain that I  _ want _ to be with you, Oliver,” Felicity stated, regretting her words as his look fell. He took a step back and she could see his walls come up again. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she sighed. “I just… Well, I think you already know that I care about you, but it feels so wrong to be talking about this with you, when you’re still with Sara. It doesn’t matter that you’ve already decided to condemn your relationship with her, because you’re just assuming that it won’t work out.”

“Felicity, I’m going to say this once, and you better listen to me,” Oliver said, once again stepping closer. “I care about you, and I know that you care about me too. Sara is aware of my feelings, and she too knows that at some point she and I won’t be together anymore. I’m telling you, that when that day comes, I will be knocking on your apartment door and I will kiss you, and not regret anything and I really hope that it won’t ruin things between us.”

“You’re making no sense, Oliver,” Felicity groaned. “One second you’re telling me that you need time and the other you’re telling me that as soon as you break up with Sara, you’ll be kissing me! Are you expecting me to wait around forever? Because I can tell you right now that that isn’t going to happen.”

She pushed past him and headed for the stairs.

“Felicity,” he started, but she continued walking.

“This conversation is over. Everything that almost happened here tonight is forgotten and the words that were said are already erased. It stays between the two of us and we won’t speak about it again,” she said, not knowing if she was just angry, or also upset.

He didn’t say anything as she walked out of the Foundry, and when she got home, she laid down on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

-Olicity-

A week passed and both of them pretended like nothing was wrong. They continued working together, their friendship was still intact and no one in the team seemed to notice the sometimes pained looks that covered their faces.

Felicity was sitting on her couch, working her way through a pint of ice-cream and watching reruns of  _ Grey’s Anatomy _ when she heard a knock on her door. Without thinking, she put the ice-cream on the table and headed for the door, not even bothering to check who it was first.

As soon as the door opened, her eyes widened as she saw Oliver standing there. In less than a second, he stepped forward, cupped her cheeks and crushed his lips against hers.

It started out desperate and rough, and for a second, Felicity couldn’t respond to it because it seemed that her brain had stopped working, but as Oliver slowed the kiss down, she slowly came to and pressed her lips back against his with the same amount of power. He took a step closer, and they stumbled inside her apartment as he deepened the kiss. His hands fell from her cheeks, down to her hips and her arms closed around his neck as she pulled him even closer.

The need for oxygen was what finally forced them to pull apart, but they stayed close, their foreheads still touching, their breathing ragged and their minds clouded.

“Oliver,” Felicity finally managed to say, but she couldn’t continue.

“It was Sara,” he replied to her unspoken question. “She ended it and told me to go get the one I really wanted.”

“ Is she…?”  _ Mad? Okay with this? Sad? _

The smile that appeared on his face melted her heart. “I told you that she knew it already and what she told me to do,” he said. “And I told you what I would do when the inevitable end came.”

Even though she was still confused, she couldn’t help but smile at him. “So, what now?” she asked. “We’ve crossed the line, so what’s next?”

His thumb brushed against her hip, where her tattoo was and he closed his eyes. “I like it here,” he told her, “on the other side of the line.” He opened his eyes and looked at her, his unspoken question clear.

“I like it here too,” she replied. “Do you mind if we stay here for a while?”

“I don’t mind if we stay here forever,” he told her, closing the gap between them once again.

She knew it would be difficult, and she knew that there would be a lot of things for them to talk about at some point, but while kissing Oliver back, she decided that they could take that on tomorrow. Even though time flies, she felt as if it was frozen as her lips brushed against his and he tightened his grip on her hips.

He pulled away and chuckled suddenly. She looked at him questionably, “What?”

“I just really, really like your tattoo,” he admitted, a grin still on his face. She smacked his arm, but then wrapped her arms around his neck again.

“Time flies, Oliver,” she murmured. “Let’s not waste another second of it.”

“Agreed,” he replied, pulling her close and closing the distance between them again.

  
  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as something simple and was supposed to end much sooner (with Felicity going home upset), but things escalated and I was listening to a lot of Ellie Goulding and Adele and a lot of angst appeared out of nowhere and I felt really bad, because I didn't want to end it like that, so I wrote that last part and the happy ending in.
> 
> I'm sorry for any mistakes because I haven't had time to spell-check it, but I do hope you enjoyed it.  
> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
